More than 100 organizations join all-inclusive statewide demonstration in the wake of Prop 8 ruling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 28, 2009

FRESNO, CA – In the first statewide demonstration following the California Supreme Court rulings which upheld the ban on same-sex marriage, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) advocates and allies will gather in Fresno on Saturday, May 30th in solidarity to support full federal equality.

This all-inclusive event will attract supporters of social justice and equality from across California and ask them to renew their dedication to fight for the rights of LGBT individuals. Moreover, progressive leaders and activists will be setting goals for a new movement which will call upon organizers and attendees to continue the fight and call upon the federal government to provide full equality to LGBT individuals.

Meet in the Middle is the beginning of a civil rights movement for today’s generation. In a symbolic sign of respect to the social movements of the past and present, the event begins with a five-hour 14.5-mile Equality March from Selma, California to downtown Fresno, California. The march and rally is the result of a major grassroots effort, modeled after President Obama’s campaign relying on the Internet and word of mouth.

Traditionally, the LGBT rights movement has concentrated efforts in major metropolitan cities, but California voter demographics from November 2008 reflect that this approach did not garner the expected results. Consequently, organizers for Meet in the Middle have created an inward-working-out geographic strategy based upon the belief that the “Selma” or “Montgomery” of the LGBT rights movement will be in smaller communities needing equality education, resources and support – communities like Fresno who are at the epicenter of middle-American values.

Meet in the Middle for Equality is the brainchild of Central Valley organizers and a growing coalition of partners that include the Courage Campaign and hundreds of other organizations. The event’s lead organizer is Fresno resident Robin McGehee, a lesbian mother of two who was forced from her post as President of her child’s PTO due to her advocacy efforts for the No on Prop. 8 campaign.

More information can be found at:

http://www.meetinthemiddle4equality.com 

WHEN:          

Saturday, May 30, 2009, 1st Statewide Action After the Proposition 8 Decision

7:50 a.m. – Equality March Kickoff; 8:00 a.m. – March from Selma to Fresno

1:00 p.m. – Rally at steps of Fresno City Hall

WHERE:    

March from the intersection of W. Front St. and Whitson St. in Selma, CA, then along the Golden State Highway to the Meet in the Middle rally location at Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA  93721
            
WHO:           

Equality March speakers at Selma Kick-off include:  

• Anne-Marie Williams of Jordan/Rustin Coalition
• Nii-Quartelai Quartey of Courage Campaign
• Yardenna Aaron of Here to Stay Coalition
• Andrea Shorter of Equality California (EQCA)
• Roland Palencia of HONOR PAC (English/Spanish-language)

Rally Speakers at Fresno City Hall Location include:

• Robin Tyler, the original plaintiff in Tyler vs. the County of Los Angeles
• Angelica Salas, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
• Molly McKay, Marriage Equality USA
• Christine Chavez, Latino and African-American Leadership Alliance and Granddaughter of Cesar Chavez
• Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian Rights
• Rabbi Denise Eger, Congregation Kol Ami & California Faith for Equality
• Father Geoff Farrow, Former Catholic Priest for Fresno’s Saint Paul Newman Center
• Lt. Dan Choi, West Point graduate, recently discharged under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
• Reverend Eric Lee, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
• Reverend Dr. Amos Brown, Third Baptist Church, San Francisco
• Rick Jacobs, Chair and Founder of the Courage Campaign
• Cleve Jones, founder of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Harvey Milk intern
• Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award Winning Screenwriter for Milk

INFO:        

Credentialed media or valid government-issued ID will be requested for press or blogger tent access.  Anyone interested in covering this event should contact Jon Carroll at (559) 240-1418.  Media check-in for the rally will be located at the south lot of Fresno City Hall (accessible from Tulare Street) beginning at 7 a.m., but media passes can be secured as early as Thursday evening before the event.

“With this ruling, Californians are experiencing a great loss – a loss of justice, loss of compassion, and a loss of humanity. But rather than become disabled by our grief, we must shift our shame to strength and revitalize for the sake of the entire American LGBT community.  We must use this ruling as a catalyst for an even greater goal and a greater good,” said Robin McGehee, lead organizer for Meet in the Middle. 

Over 100 organizations from around the state have endorsed Meet in the Middle for Equality. The Courage Campaign and White Knot for Equality are providing buses to bring activists and progressive allies from San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco to the middle of California.

Additional active participants include the California Nurses Association, Dolores Huerta Foundation, Equality Action NOW, Equality California (EQCA), Equal Roots, Freedom Action Inclusive Rights (F.A.I.R.), Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Network, HONOR PAC, Jordan/Rustin Coalition, Marriage Equality USA, Martin Luther King Legacy Association, NAACP Youth and College Division, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, and the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. 

Meet in the Middle for Equality is a group of Central Valley equality activists and grassroots organizers who are working to raise awareness of progressive issues in middle-America-type communities.  The group was founded by Robin McGehee, a Fresno-based mother who was forced out of her position as PTO president at her child’s school after speaking out against Proposition 8. From McGehee’s public yet peaceful protests of Proposition 8 in November 2008, a group of supporters emerged with the common goal of taking action in order to protect individuals’ civil rights and to create a statewide response to the California Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage.  It is the long-term goal of Meet in the Middle for Equality to work with other organizations’ leaders to create a working group that actively addresses LGBT outreach and equality issues across America.